Presentation Time to Hospital and Recognition of Stroke in Patients with Ischemic Stroke

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 18(2); 2000 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2000;18(2): 125-131.

허혈성 뇌졸중 환자의 병원도착시간과 뇌졸중에 대한 인식

허지회, 천화영 이남정모*이김동찬이김경환이이병인

연세대학교 의과대학 신경과학교실,예방의학교실*

Presentation Time to Hospital and Recognition of Stroke in Patients with Ischemic Stroke

Ji Hoe Heo, M.D., Hwa Young Cheon, M.D., Chung Mo Nam, Ph.D.*, Dong Chan Kim, R.N., Gyung Whan Kim, M.D., Byung In Lee, M.D.

Department of Neurology and Preventive Medicine*, College of Medicine, Yonsei University

Abstract

B a c k g r o u n d : Recent advances in stroke therapies require patients to be treated very early after the onset of symp-toms. To reduce the delay in time upon stroke and arriving at the hospital, we assessed the time delay, stroke recognition, and awareness before and after a public education program designed to increase recognition and awareness. M e t h o d s : Prospective standardized and structured interviews were performed in 155 patients with ischemic stroke who were admitted to the Severance hospital before and after the public education program. The educational program included local newspaper articles, distribution of pamphlets, and lectures to 119 emergency care teams. Time delay, variable fac-tors, stroke recognition, and stroke awareness of patients were then assessed (75 pre-education and 80 post-education groups). R e s u l t s : 52% of the pre-education group and 52.5% of the post-education group arrived at the hospital within 24 hours. Those who arrived within 3 hours were only 21.3% and 15% respectively. A direct visit to the hospital and a cardioembolic infarction appeared to be associated with a shorter time delay. About half of the patients recognized their symptoms as a stroke before a diagnosis was made by a doctor. Most of them had known that a stroke should be treated urgently. However, the stroke recognition and awareness was not associated with an early arrival, which suggests that their knowledge was not solid. The efforts to inform the public using local newspaper articles and pamphlets geared towards the local residents for the limited time period was not effective in shortening arrival times. C o n c l u s I o n s : Many of the stroke patients did not arrive within the therapeutic time window. Our findings suggest that extensive and multi-directional campaigns should be performed to reduce the time delay. Our findings also suggest that educational aims should include the need for the rapid treatment of stroke and a therapeutic time window as well as stroke recognition. J Korean Neurol Assoc 18(2):125~131, 2000 Key Words : Presentation time, Arrival, Cerebrovascular disorders, Cerebral infarction, Education